Big Deal on the RH Bill

     I am a devoted Roman Catholic and I am for the Philippine’s Reproduction Health Bill more popularly known as the RHbill.  I believe in my heart that one can be both a good Catholic Christian while promoting family planning.  In my opinion, one cannot be regarded as unchristian just because of a certain choice that one he/she undertakes to improve the quality of life.  I choose to side for the bill because of how obviously population explosion contributes largely to poverty among Filipinos.  Poverty could become a breeding ground for anything evil.

     Consider this, when an average family has more than enough children than the breadwinner can afford to feed, the most next likely thing to happen is hunger, illiteracy and the worst, crime.  Let’s face it, every family has its own capability to raise a family depending on its financial capacity. Such that what is true to one family, may not hold true to the other. One family may be able to raise four children while another can only be able to raise only two depending on the situation. Raising children does not only limit to putting food on the table. It goes beyond as giving time and resources to raise him well as giving him a decent shelter provide for his/her education and giving him a quality time so, the children grow to be responsible and upright productive adults.

     Reproductive health bill is about reproductive care which ensures the complete well-being of the reproductive system from its functions down to its processes. Our body is not a manufacturing machine where babies come and go. Though one goal of building a family through marriage is to pro- create, the bill helps to ensure that  married couple have the freedom to decide when and how often to do so as long as they have done nothing against the law. RH bill specifically does not support abortion and that doing so remains a crime punishable by law.

     Likewise, worth commendable to the RHbill is the birthing services to solve maternal deaths whose proponents covers a wide range of concerns related to mothers who are in fact seems to be the most to benefit from the bill.  It covers the following: a)Information and access to natural and modern form of family planning; b)Maternal, infant and child health and nutrition; c) Promotion of breast feeding; d) Prevention of abortion and management of post-abortion complications; e) Adolescent and youth health; f)Prevention and management of reproductive tract infections, HIV/AIDS and STDs; g)Elimination of violence against women; h) Counseling on sexuality and sexual reproduction health; I) Treatment of breast and reproductive tract cancers; j) Male involvement and participation in RH; k) Prevention and treatment of infertility and; l)RH education for the youth.  It is sad to know how many maternal deaths in the past could have been prevented had more Filipino women have access to reproductive health care and information. It’s quite alarming that 32% maternal deaths could have been reduced or altogether prevented had family planning been observed as 11 maternal deaths occurs daily in the Philippines while giving birth.

     As a mother of two boys ages 11 and 12, I wouldn’t mind my kids getting proper sexual education in school than them getting them from their peers who might give them the wrong information.  Come to think of it, what is taboo in the olden days cannot anymore be applied in this changing world. Children are naturally inquisitive, so much so, that rather than them asking questions relating to sex and sexuality from persons not in authority, might as well tell or educate them in a manner appropriate to their age.

     The passing of the RHbill continues to be the center of so many debates. Philippines is a free country, so, the argument continues as long as it lasts.  Meanwhile, I will continue to support the bill as I have personally witness from my own community how a once otherwise healthy woman turned into a living cadaver of a slave by an irresponsible jobless husband who got her pregnant successively one year after the other.

     The same holds true with another community couple who seems to enjoy bearing children inspite of poverty and witnessing and not minding their children grow up lacking even the basic manners that eventually make them a menace to society.

The Reproductive Health Bill is about responsible parenthood.

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Amado Bagatsing: No to Sex Education in Schools

Amado Bagatsing is a congressman of Manila’s fifth district. One of his advocacies is House Resolution 1109 which calls for an assembly to modify or revise the Philippine Constitution.

In one of the discussions in the House of Representatives where the topic is all about the Reproductive Health Bill or the RH Bill, Amado Bagatsing said he believes that using contraceptives or any birth control is tantamount to committing abortion. He also said that in the English term, when someone puts a stop to something from taking place, “it is called abortion in English”. He also said that his colleagues are just playing with semantics. He even asked them if what he said is difficult to comprehend.

He also added that concealed in the very controversial and divisive bill is abortion, and that once it is signed into a law, the act of abortion is already legalized.

            Manila Representative Amado Bagatsing also was among the first to  voice out his opinion against mandatory  or obligatory sex education among children. He stipulated that this will only unintentionally open the otherwise closed eyes of children to sex. He also called to attention the parents role in educating the child about sex. He said that parents should be doing the educating about sex and not the government.

Contraceptives: One-way Ticket to Hell?

After the birth of the controversial RH Bill, Catholic moralists nationwide were quick to express their belief that birth control is, well, a sin. According to the Bible, God wanted us to multiply, and to multiply the moralists think we should. Not only do they find contraceptives offensive, some of the (more prudish) moralists are also horrified to learn of the proposed plan to put sex education classes in school. It is safe to say that they are con RH Bill because of their religious beliefs. But then again, why don't other Catholics see contraceptives as a one-way ticket to hell?

            I was born to Catholic parents and was raised Catholic. I studied in esteemed Catholic institutions, where I learned to read ( . . . some parts of) the Bible and learned how to participate in Mass. As soon I was old enough and socially-conscious enough to know about contraceptives, I knew that some fellow Catholics believe that contraceptives are instruments of murder. Oddly, I never saw it like that. I deemed condoms and the pill and the diaphragm as inventive and effective ways to prevent unwanted pregnancies, especially to those who do not believe in abstinence or sex until marriage – which, you know, is pretty much 70 percent of the population.

            Most teenagers today are sexually active. This is where sex education and contraceptives come in handy. Imagine if teenagers, with their crazy raging hormones, were to experiment with sex without proper knowledge or birth control. Imagine how many young girls would fall victim to teenage pregnancies. Didn't Jose Rizal say that today's youth are tomorrow's leaders?  So what happens if tomorrow's leaders are knocked up and/or taking care of their spawns? What happens to the future of our country?

            Say a fourteen-year-old girl experiences something similar to lust. Her hormones are raging and she's feeling butterflies inside her tummy whenever the older, more experienced college boy she's crushing on so much as smiles at her. The college boy notices how the girl's behaving. He entertains ideas about hooking up with her. She knows nothing about sex, considering her parents are too conservative and too awkward to discuss the birds and the bees to her. College boy takes advantage of the naïve girl. She gets pregnant and is labeled a slut by others, when in truth she was merely uninformed. It's a picture that probably happens everyday in our country.

            Sex education is designed to inform the youth of the technicalities and consequences of sex – what should happen if they decide to seal the deal, so to speak. Learning about the various sexually transmitted diseases contraceptives such as condoms avert, youths would be taught to approach sex more cautiously and to be responsible enough to use birth control.

            The aim of the RH Bill is to lessen the birth rate in the Philippines. Apparently, our country is the twelfth most overpopulated nation in the globe. Family planning is one of the most simplest ways to curb the ever-growing problem regarding overpopulation. Some moralists would argue that God wants us to multiply. But seeing as the earth's natural resources are rapidly diminishing as the birth rates shoot up, I do not think God wants us to live in a world where food is scarce. Earth is fast losing the capability to feed its inhabitants. At this rate, years from now – if babies continue to keep popping out of their mothers' wombs at an alarming pace – the number of humans would become much higher than the number of food. This could cause people to fight and scavenge for goods. Instead of living in an ideal Eden, we'd be living in a dystopian world where war and murder are everyday occurrences. Eventually, our earth's resources would disappear entirely, leaving mankind starving to death – literally.

            I think, if there really is a God out there, He would rather have us use birth control than to be denied basic necessities such as food. I think that He wouldn't want us to starve, all in the name of “multiplying.”

            There is nothing wrong with being educated about the perils and aftermaths of sex. And there certainly is nothing wrong with having a choice. If I wanted to use birth control, then I am damn well going to use birth control. It is my body and it is my choice and it is my life.

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My Stance on the RH Bill

I wholly support the RH Bill.  The Philippines needs to come to its senses and provide the necessary means for its citizens to have a solid framework in place to support Reproductive Health issues which is a massive concern with the country’s overpopulation.  Overpopulation leads to a number of problems which the Philippines are experiencing- scarcity of resources, health problems and environmental issues.

Education regarding sex and family planning should be mandatory.  There comes a point when religion and moral ethics should take a minor role.  The RH Bill will provide the fundamentals to take care of Filipino citizen’s family planning and sex education while providing the support groups for those that need them.  Just because there is a structure being proposed does not literally mean that Filipinos will go wild and have crazy sex everywhere.  Well, aren’t they already since there are so many babies that prove Filipinos do partake in the nasty- and quite often?!!

Filipinos need to realize that smaller families and longer birth intervals would eventually lead to a reduction in poverty.  Also, having a big gap between each child will allow the parents to invest more time in their education, health and nutrition.  Maternal deaths can be reduced if people had access to proper basic healthcare and good nutrition and supplements.  Also the number of abortions and STD’s would be decreased if prophylactics and other methods of birth control were readily available both in information and in access.

Look at countries such as the Netherlands for instance.  Their health and wellbeing is one aspect which the government has done a good job with.  Information is readily available both in print and online.  Out of curiosity I did a Google search on reproductive health in Holland and lo and behold I accessed Geond Amsterdam at www.gezond.amsterdam.nl  This site is very informational.  Something like this would work well here in the Philippines as everyone is pretty much so internet literate.  This also allows the people anonymity so there is no need to feel ‘shy’ because your next door neighbor cannot see that you are reading about HIV.  The following are the subheadings on the web page:

Infectious diseases & hygiene
Mental health
Drugs
Care and nuisance
Sexual violence
Environment & Health
Healthy Living
Youth
Medical examinations and injuries
Health & Policy
Scientific research
About the Public Health Service

If information such as this were readily available to the Filipino public, it would be a massive leap in sexual education.  It is responsible action as any person who accesses the site IS interested in learning about something that is discussed on the website.  If the person decides to go and have sex at a brothel, for instance, they would know how to have safe sex and where to go to get birth control.  Or on the other hand, armed with all this information about the pros and cons of sex, the person decides to wait for the right time because there are so many diseases out there and getting pregnant is a one-shot deal.

I really do believe that the Filipino government should ratify the RH Bill and get on with it.  The RH Bill is for the future of the Filipinos.  There is no better way to combat the economic crisis, health and environmental issues which is plaguing the Philippines.  People need to wake up, step outside the box, and do something for the future of this country and for its future generations.  Forget what the church teaches about “being fruitful and multiplying”!  Do you see the church feeding, clothing and putting all your children to school?  Just because you support the RH Bill does not mean that you have lost your faith.  The only hope for the RH Bill is for each and every Filipino to support it.  Filipinos need to be responsible citizens. 

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My Personal Views on the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill

            Researching the RH Bill, I found out that what it aims at is the access of individuals to different methods and information on birth control and maternal care. I also found out that the reason why this bill is being mercilessly pushed is that proponents of this Bill think that it will control overpopulation and ease poverty in the Philippines, thereby raising the standard of living per family. Consequently, it will follow that it will also raise the ranking of the Philippines in the world.

            Personally, I really do not understand and agree with why they are really pushing this bill. Is it because they really believe in their advocacy or is it because who ever got to push this Bill into law will become so famous that his face and his name will have install recall on the masses come election time? . I also do not believe that the Philippines is overly populated even if surveys and studies show otherwise. For one, I do not know how that study was conducted. How accurate are the census done?  With the rampant domestic migration in the Philippines, doing a population in an area or a region is quite a daunting task.  I believe that population count is just an estimate, nothing more.

            For me, population is never and should never be a problem of mankind. The reason why a child is born is because God wants it to be born. The reason why a woman does not conceive or why a child is not born alive is because God allowed it to happen.           

The government is concerned about a woman giving birth which adds to the number of inhabitants in a country. How many women can give birth at the same in a minute? On the other hand, how many victims can even one calamity take? It can destroy hundred and even thousands of lives in just a second.    

I, for one, did not conceive a child. I have undergone  so many medical interventions, I met and was treated by five specialists, I took fertility pills and underwent  so many fertility programs but all to no avail. It is because what I was seeking for is life. And life can only come from God.

            Proponents said that controlling population will alleviate poverty and raise the standard of living. Again, for me, population has nothing to do with it. If ever it has an effect, it is only marginal. For me, the correct values instilled by the parents to their children will raise the family’s standard of living.  The children must be taught the value of hard work, living a virtuous life, and valuing the benefits of education.  As I have observed, even the parents do not know how to live decently anymore. The “bahala na” attitude is still very strong to us Filipinos. We leave our life to fate. We expect to eat and to experience material joy but we do not want to work hard for it. Just look at the bums in every street, doing nothing all day but complaining of life’s hardships every minute. If other people can do two or three jobs in a day, then why can’t they do even one job? 

            We can still do something about this way of living. Instead of blaming overpopulation,  the government should have  programs to reconstruct our society. They should allot time, budget, manpower and resources to re-educate and re-train every citizen in our country towards the right way of living.

            I also do not agree with educating children about the means of birth control to prevent early or teenage pregnancies. If our children are equipped with proper values, if they know what is right and what is wrong, if we communicate well with our children, if we are always there for our children, then there will be no fear of unwanted pregnancies.  There is no reason for them to know at an early age about birth control methods. 

.           The only benefit I agree with the proponents of this Bill is the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases to infect other people.

            I hope that this RH Bill will not be implemented. But in case it is, then it is up to the parents and guardians, and the spiritual advisers, to inform their children or their flock about what is right and wrong.    

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Legislating Our Sex Lives

The poor are always at a disadvantage all the time, even in matters of planning their own families!  Middle-class families and the rich can easily access family planning methods, but the poor can't. They just don't have the money to pay to their doctors or to buy those contraceptives.  And they should be the people our health workers should reach - the ones who have the most at stake on this.  I know the government should not legislate our sex lives, but the sight of so much poor struggling, just because they have 5, 6 7, or more children, should be enough for the government to step in and educate them in family planning methods - whether those are sanctioned by the Church or not.  The Church can do their own sex education and the state can do its share - and the couple should be left alone to decide for themselves. We are a democratic country after all!

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